Absolutely agree on all counts. China plays the long game, and one of the potential benefits of a centrally planned government is the fact that if the senior politburo stays coup free and stable the government is able to pursue geopolitical aims on a much longer scale than a senator ship or two-term president.
I hope I don’t need to say that there are obvious and numerous downsides to such a government. But if you couple a long and entrenched senior leadership with a culture that naturally takes a multi-generational view of things, it can be very effective for a slow play game.
I agree regarding delayed gratification of our population. I do feel that there are many, many people that work hard however.
Couple thoughts. First, this kind of comment sort of smells like the GWB comment about looking into Putin’s eyes. In other words, I don’t think many Western politicians can really get to know a person like Xi well or understand them in terms of western politics.
Not saying he couldn’t, because I do think he seems more insightful than Trump ( at least for the moment, hopefully he stays functional for all four years). Just seems less than likely.
Second, I do agree with his current position on China, and that was one of the things that I agreed with Trump on. I just wish it had been executed better.
China is probably the reason l left the full blown unencumbered Free Enterprise train.
It isn’t fashionable to be anti Globalist. And any attempt to say America first or l still believe in patriotism is shouted down as either hopelessly passe or xenophobic.
But on a microeconomic view, we all look out for number 1. There is just no long term way to practice the higher forms of altruism (eg charity, caring for others), unless we keep our own financial house in order.
All this to say, we are fools: to give up our manufacturing base, refusal to demand equal trading fields for our exports in exchange for selling into our huge market, to opening our society to every person (and their family) wanting to come here with no regard to whether they can add to our already established group. You already know my views.
Trump’s biggest problem wasn’t policy or insight (disagree with you here A), it was megalomanical ego, lack of decorum, inability to not get the last word.
Biden will prove to be both a globalist and unknowing nancy against the 50 year educational indoctrination against the same values that made the US rise to the top - self reliance, sober living, spiritual desire, satisfaction in hard work.
Just read Krugman say the 102% of GDP deficit (before adding in the 2TT coming), is no problem. When did that not lead to a problem in any of our personal lives? Yet as a nation, we agree and just fire up the printing presses.
How about we change it to American/Western values first and not enrich countries that rely on slavery and oppression as part of their business model? It’s almost comic to see the NBA pushing BLM while whoring itself to China and Nike.
Well the ex potus’ actions, words, tweets, along with his conspiracy peddling insurrectionist mob ruined the phrases “America First” and “true patriots”. What you think they mean is likely a sensible positive thing, but culturally they are very negative now because of the above.
I, and i bet you, are OK with making do with less materialistic things (electronics, clothes, household knickknacks), but i would argue that most people have become accustomed/reliant on the current materialistc and consumer culture we have here in america. The only way all that SHIT is affordable for average folks is to get it produced overseas. We pay a premium for domestic manufacturing, and like you said, people will look out for #1 financially so going back to expensive domestically manufactured goods is unlikely to receive anything close to popular support.
We get “pay down debt” pounded into our heads during any kind of financial literacy class/seminar/program we go to, but when it comes to the national debt its a “who cares” attitude. I don’t get it. I really don’t. There is no reason why reducing the national debt shouldnt be a bipartisan issue. How to do it will be partisan for sure, but reducing/eliminating the debt should be something everyone agrees on. I just don’t get it. I would 100% be in favor of a constitutional ammendment saying that, “except in times of war, the national budget CANNOT be approved if it produces a budget deficit.”
Agree, and I also believe that America should be first because I live here. Patriotism is not passé or xenophobic although it is unfortunately looked at in that manner by too many right now. China has been a developing background problem for decades (that we used for cheap goods and economic gain) and has now become a front burner problem that will remain for decades.
Macro view? In any case point well taken. I think this has problems at the national level though, due to selfishness. Just to clarify I’m not talking about keeping our house in order, which is critical.
That’s fair, I respect that. To me I see those things as intertwined. In other words, a megalomaniacal ego lack of decorum and inability to not get the last word at all times leads by default to lack of insight… Because you aren’t paying attention to what’s around you, only yourself as the center of attention. In other words to have solid insights one generally needs to be focused outside of oneself rather than at the center of the universe. I do agree they’re not strictly linked with policy, but I think a person with those character traits is more likely to mismanage otherwise good policies in execution.
This is a crisis and has been for decades. And we all just want to stick our heads in the sand. Hard choices need to be made and they’re getting harder every year we don’t address it
We could continue the war on drugs, start the war on poverty. Do we still have a war on terror? If not, they will bring that back.
IMO, we should go further than a balanced budget. A balanced budget means we are all good as long as nothing bad happens and we lose income, or expenses go up for some unforeseen reason. We should be saving (investing) money. It is what individuals, businesses, and countries should do IMO. We could pay for some of these programs with our dividends, instead of taxing more to pay off interest only payments. Riding the wave vs. swimming against it.
Look at our defense spending. It would seem as if we have a war on every letter of it at the minimum!
I think a lot of truth here. The people who lost their shit over someone kneeling during the anthem didn’t blink an eye when people flew Trump flag and Confederate flags all the times at rallies. I would consider myself a patriot but I also don’t think someone protesting the anthem is a big deal. So to some that would make me not a patriot. But if I did wear the confederate flag hat and get pissed off at kneeling now to some I’m a patriot.
Same with America First. I’d consider myself America First in many instances. I’d like to see us spend less on defense and more on American priorities. To some that probably means I hate soldiers or something. I think if the incredibly wealthy have seen massive growth in the last 30 years that maybe increasing the minimum wage isn’t scary? To some that makes me anti business.
I think that if people are hurt during Covid it makes sense to target people who are hurting the most financially and not driving money to corporations who behaved like drunk kings when times are rolling. But maybe that makes me a socialist. But direct payments to farmers when starting a trade war isn’t socialist it’s helping people out!
I don’t mind calling myself a lot of things but they may mean different things to different people.
Well the guy who said this “First of all, you never have to default because you print the money, I hate to tell you, OK?” got well over 100 million votes for President in two different elections. I’d say it’s pretty well agreed by more than not! What could possibly ever go wrong?!
Hell yeah! My penis had almost stopped working as a result of Trump not starting enough stuff in Stone Age countries. The thought of more, impressionable teenagers going overseas to possibly get killed fighting for nothing has the blood flowing down there again.
Maybe. But I heard three Trump voters have, at various times, used the word “nigger” when referring to African-American persons. Those guys are now in their 80s and employed black people for years, but it’s important we remember that at least three white supremacists voted for Trump.
